Rooppur Nuclear Plant

• Since using the Russian ruble to pay for the building of the Rooppur nuclear facility was not currently practical, Bangladesh and Russia have agreed to utilise Chinese yuan as the method of settlement.

Highlight

• Bangladesh is constructing the first of two nuclear power facilities together with Rosatom, the state-owned nuclear enterprise in Russia.
• At some point, the two reactors at the Rooppur facility, 160 km northwest of Dhaka, will continuously generate 2400 megawatts of clean electricity.
• The initiative is a part of a comprehensive plan to transform the developing country's economy into a developed one by 2041.
• The need for electricity is increasing by roughly 7% yearly, so Bangladesh is trying to increase, diversify, and decarbonize its electrical sector by including nuclear power and renewable energy. Currently, natural gas provides close to 80% of the nation's electricity.???????

India's Status

• India and Bangladesh have nuclear cooperation agreements. The first project to be undertaken as part of an Indo-Russian agreement to carry out atomic energy projects in third nations is the Rooppur project.
• The commanding authority on the Indian side is the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), which will support Russia, which will take the lead in designing, manufacturing, and supplying the facility's equipment, in addition to helping with installation and capacity building.
• Additionally, this will be the first opportunity for Indian businesses to take part in a nuclear power plant outside of their country. India is unable to directly take part in the development of atomic power reactors since it is not a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Relevance to India

• India has been progressively entering into strategic agreements with powerful nations like the US, Russia, and Japan, but this deal is the country's first project on foreign land and underscores India's increased role in the global civil nuclear business.
• It has also greatly aided the nation's "Make in India" effort by suggesting that some nuclear equipment for the plant be produced domestically.
• This pact is also significant in light of India's "Neighbourhood First" policy, which highlights its significance in South Asia. It advances India's reputation as a responsible nuclear state and advances the Gujral doctrine's goals of non-reciprocity towards India's weaker neighbours in South Asia.

participation of the International Atomic Energy Agency

• One of the 28 nations contemplating, planning, or beginning the use of nuclear power is Bangladesh. The IAEA supports nations interested in creating nuclear energy uses for peaceful purposes, such as nuclear power.
• The IAEA's milestones method offers detailed instructions on building the foundation for a new nuclear power programme.

IAEA

• The IAEA is the global hub for nuclear cooperation and is referred to as the world's "Atoms for Peace and Development" institution.
• In 1957, at the height of the Cold War (1945–1991) between the US and the Soviet Union, it was founded as an independent organisation.
• The agency reports to both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council while being founded independently by the UN under its own international treaty.
• To promote the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear technologies, it collaborates with the member nations and other partners on a global scale.

NSG: Nuclear Suppliers Group

• It is an organisation of nations that export nuclear material that was founded in 1974 and aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons by putting two sets of export regulations into effect.
• Despite other provisions in the NSG Guidelines, the "Non-Proliferation Principle," adopted in 1994, states that a supplier may only authorise a transfer when confident that it will not aid in the spread of nuclear weapons.